This Is England '88
2011
Original language: English
- drama
The story
Set during Christmas 1988, Lol is haunted by the devastating events that took place two and a half years before. She and Woody both find themselves struggling to cope with their lives without each other after he leaves the gang. Lol is carrying the burden of her guilt, whilst Woody is trying to build a domestic life with a new girlfriend and a potential promotion at work. Shaun has started drama college and, although still in a relationship with Smell, he has grown close to a girl performing in his Christmas play.
What it’s like
Grainy, low-lit northern English winter: cold streets under sodium lamps, bedsits and pubs lit by warm amber and the flat glare of tube lights, the frost-bitten Midlands of 1988 rendered with a documentary roughness. Shane Meadows shoots in handheld, close-in takes that stay with faces during quiet stretches of talk, and the soundtrack mixes 80s indie and synth pop with long stretches of ordinary room tone. The vibe is wintry, bruised and tender, a mood of guilt that hangs in the air and slowly thaws. It suits a late-night watch alone under a blanket, or a dark Christmas weekend when you want something sober but warm. Pacing is unhurried, with scenes of awkward silence and small domestic moments carrying as much weight as the big confrontations. The emotional register is melancholy with flashes of humour and affection, and its people are slowly learning to live with what they have done and to let others back in. Intensity is moderate: some sudden, ugly outbursts and fights, a hard sense of grief and anger, and a few sexual references, but no gore and little gratuitous cruelty. It is for viewers who want serious, character-led British drama with a nostalgic, lived-in texture.
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